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I swallow hard. "Is it too late?"
This makes me think of Bel's mom. Her body had lain right down the hall when Seb had it moved from the emergency room. I hadn't been here, but I'd gotten the information out of the nurses then too as I kept track of Bel.
"I don't believe so. When I was working with her, I started to synthesize an antidote, but I didn't get very far when your father returned and requested I leave your mother's care team." The last is bit out, an edge in his voice now.
Good, this doctor has some fight at least.
"What do you need to finish it?"
"More of your Victoria’s blood. I have to make sure he hasn't changed things now that I've interfered. You should probably hurry too. It seems like he might want to end it if he thinks he might get caught."
I snort. "My father has always underestimated me. He thinks I'm stupid, or maybe he just has low expectations. Either way, he won't end things just because of me. Not yet."
Doctor Brooks nods, and I consider Bel's mom again. And what I considered that day in the kitchen that made me think we were related. "Doctor, do you know the name of the doctor who was treating Ms. Jacobs before she passed?”
He eyes me and shakes his head. "I can look it up, though."
Once I have what I need from him, I give him my cell phone number and tell him to get to work. I'll pay whatever he needs.
Then I go find the doctor who helped Bel's mom. She's tall and thin with dark hair and dark eyes. Younger than I thought. "Doctor?"
She spins, a professional smile on her face. "Yes, can I help you?"
"I'm a friend of Maybel Jacobs. I was here trying to get some information and then it occurred to me that you might be able to give me an answer."
"I'd be happy to help."
She actually sounds genuine. Imagine that.
"Is it possible that the illness Ms. Jacob's suffered from could have been caused by long-term poison exposure as a young woman?"
She blinks once, her smile slipping away. "Excuse me?"
"I know it's a strange question. But you guys were treating it like a cancer. Could the cancer, or whatever, be caused by poison over a long period?"
There's a moment when she casts her eyes down, considering. "Let me look at the files, but I'm not sure."
The hesitance in her voice is really all the answer I need. "Thank you, Doctor. I appreciate your time."
I walk away, my world spinning. Now, I need to figure out how to tell Bel my father is the one responsible for everything. And then I need to figure out how to keep Seb on a tight leash until this is all done so he doesn't blow shit up before I can begin.
20
BEL
The library still feels weird, but I’m not giving up. I'm still wearing a hundred-dollar jeans, and all my textbooks are brand new, even creaking slightly when I open them, which I will admit to no one is really satisfying. My old ones had been open and closed so many times the spines were loose. Nothing loose about these shiny babies.
I also have to admit it's nice to just come to the library and not have to worry about tutoring, about appointments and money. The thought instantly makes me think of Mom, who was always just doing her best, and guilt swamps me.
Here I am, happy about new textbooks, and she's dead. The joy over the book recedes under the heavy weight of my grief. Shit. I hate how this happens. One minute, I'm fine, and the next, it hits me like I've forgotten somehow, as fresh and raw as the day I found out.
I stare at the ceiling to keep the tears from falling, and once I feel like I'm not going to splatter my shiny new books with tears, I try to go back to studying.
A buzzing sound drags me out of the book, and I check my phone. A text from Seb.
Sebastian: I'll meet you at the library.
I roll my eyes and shake my head. Not 'Can I meet you at the library?' Nothing so gracious as a request. It makes me sigh but I shoot him a text back.
